Friendly faces that know what it’s like to live with mental health problems have played a key part in developing the programme – and their encouragement is vital in helping people make that crucial jump from curiosity to activity. The aim is to provide quality experiences to those wanting to get active. More than 3,500 people with mental health problems have taken part in specially designed physical activity projects across 18 places in England. The programme is helping people that live with mental health problems to overcome the barriers they face when getting active. Lack of confidence, anxiety and fatigue are just some of the barriers that prevent people living with mental health problems from getting active. We’ve invested £3m of National Lottery funding into Mind’s Get Set to Go programme. It’s effective at both preventing onset of depression and managing symptoms. Many GPs now prescribe physical activity for depression, either on its own or together with other treatments. Depression and anxietyĮxercise has been described as a “wonder drug” in preventing and managing mental health.

People with improved self-esteem can cope better with stress and improves relationships with others. This is a key indicator of mental wellbeing. Physical activity has a big impact on our self-esteem – that’s how we feel about ourselves and our perceived self-worth. Research on working adults shows that active people tend to have lower stress rates compared to those who are less active. It can help manage stressful lifestyles and can help us make better decisions when under pressure. Reduced stressīeing regularly active is shown to have a beneficial impact on alleviating stress. Researchers found that people felt more awake, calmer and more content after physical activity.įor more information about the study, please see the Mental Health Foundation website. walking or gardening) and after inactivity (i.e. One study asked people to rate their mood after a period of exercise (i.e. Studies show that physical activity has a positive impact on our mood.

There are various ways that physical activity helps mental health, including: Improved mood

Emotional state of mind download